June 6, 2011

ADDED: He's deeply sorry. And he confesses that "over the past few years, I have engaged in several inappropriate conversations conducted over Twitter, Facebook, email, and occasionally, on the phone with women I had met on line. I have exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about 6 women over the last 3 years. For the most part, these communications took place before my marriage, though some have sadly took (sic) place after. To be clear, I have never met any of these women or had physical relationships at any time. I haven't told the truth, and I have done things I deeply regret. I brought pain to the people I care about the most, and the people who believed in me. And for that, I'm deeply sorry."

On to questions from the press.

MORE: A reporter asks about an "X-rated photo" that Andrew Breitbart has implied that he has: "Can you say that is not true?" Weiner: "No, I cannot."

AND: Asked what his wife has known and when, he talks about her awareness of the things done before the marriage, then is pinned down into saying that he deceived her about the famous gray-underpants-tweet just as he deceived the rest of us.

ALSO: Describing his wife's reaction, he says she called him dumb.

AND: I think Weiner did a fine job of coming clean, taking responsibility, and apologizing. I had predicted that he would "announce he's entering treatment for sex addiction. Possibly with a grim/stoical Huma Abedin at his side." I'm glad he didn't do that. He didn't blame anybody else or any "outside force." He didn't use the nonapology "sorry if you were offended" form.

Now, it seemed pretty obvious that he would have continued deceiving us if he could have gotten away with it, but having made the decision to confess and apologize, he did that well. Of course, I'm assuming that there is nothing more to this story than what he spilled today.

He's not resigning, and he's not splitting up with his wife, he said. I don't know if he can control all that. If you were his wife, would you leave him? Realize that you don't know what their understandings are. She may very well accept this behavior. He doesn't physically contact the other women. He does things on line that sophisticated people might characterize as more like enjoying pornography than like having an in-person sexual affair.

NOTE: I'm not suggesting you're unsophisticated if you don't minimize this behavior and liken it to the use of pornography. I'm not even saying that you're unsophisticated if you expect husbands to refrain from using pornography... and from masturbating. But I do think that intelligent spouses draw their lines in different places.

349 comments:

Wow. It's pretty rare to hear a Democratic politician say, "to be clear," or, "let me be clear," and then actually follow up with something that isn't vacuous obfuscation. Well done, Weiner. I'd tweet with you any day.

Sheesh. Couldn't he see this coming? You're famous and you tweet out dick pics of yourself; it is inevitable that people will find out. Really anything you do that might sell advertising will be found out.

June 6, 2011Weiner fesses up to Twitter bonergate Why? Because he was caught dead to rights, and because other photos are coming out.

He lied. He blamed hackers. He allowed people to defend him (hi, Amanda! Weiner and Edwards, eh? No wonder you have such feminist street cred!) and he allowed others, like Andrew Breitbart, to be accused of trying to set him up. He attacked the messenger. He showed the grubbiness of his soul.

He’s despicable. He’s arrogant. He’s cowardly. And now he’s caught.

But will he give up power as a result? Of course not. This is who they are. He’ll keep his wife in the spotlight, and open the women he had online relationships with to all sort of scrutiny, because power comes first.

Chris Lee? Republican. Had to resign. Anthony Weiner? Democrat. Amanda Marcotte will defend him until she’s blue in her stupid, disingenuous face.

I'll never forget reading an anecdote about a French politician (something like that) talking about the Clinton Mess. This man was profoundly shocked that Clinton did not have full, normal sex with Lewinsky. He couldn't get his head around it. These strange Americans...

Doing this doesn't make him sleazy. He was already sleazy. (See old YouTube clips of him as a talking head.) This is only in keeping with his current character. Wonder if he'll change. Time will tell...

So just a week ago, he publicly made Genette Nicole out to be a liar, is that what I'm to take from this, rather than falling on his sword (so to speak)? How cowardly is it to let some innocent, naive young woman take all that flack, because you can't be man enough to admit your actions?

If I wasn't so damned lazy I'd search back through the comments on the Althouse postings on this to see if any of the usual suspects insisted Weiner was set up by Breitbart and his minions. But really, I'm all about the healing and MovingOn.

A man that will shatter the heart of the woman that he married and claims to love, but don't let that worry you, he really, truly is a caring and compassionate leader, deeply concerned with the needs of the poor and underprivileged in our society.

And this is the crux of the foundational lie that is American liberalism today.

"If I wasn't so damned lazy I'd search back through the comments on the Althouse postings on this to see if any of the usual suspects insisted Weiner was set up by Breitbart and his minions. But really, I'm all about the healing and MovingOn."

Jay Retread for sure . . . he had several. I think most of the other liberal commenters stayed away from it, knowing it was not going to end well.

I can't believe that's the extent of it, but if so, he's just a week late. I claim no moral authority on this, in one way or the other, a line is crossed. Politically he's deserving or whatever scorn he gets.

No doubt, Weenie has already cut a deal with Holder, et al, but it's hard to believe that he won't end up with civil suits out the ass and possible jail time. You legal eagles help me out. As I see it, he's defamed dozens of people, and clearly abused the people's property. I'd think that sexting on a government blackberry would be cause for dismissal and criminal charges. What's up?

Weiner will not resign. I don't care if Breitbart has photos of him leaving a drowning girl in a car, like Ted Kennedy, running a prostitution ring from his house like Barney Frank, probing a young intern with a cigar, then blowing his load all over her blue dress like Bill Clinton, he will not resign.

These men have no honor. Therefore, then have no shame. Having honor and shame will make a person resign. Not gonna happen.

What a half-assed idiot. Do something incredibly stupid, both professionally and personally, and then screw up the cover-up from the get go, and now give a half-assed apology. What a wimpy, flaccid idiot.

Martin Luther said we should sin boldly. This guy was incredibly inadequate as a sinner.

DBQ: one of the reasons for refusing security clearance to homosexuals in the 1950's was the risk that they could be blackmailed. One of the reasons the NBA doesn't want their players doing drugs and gambling is that makes them vulnerable to outside manipulations. We need to know who is pulling whose strings.

What does this do to Ann's theory regarding ghost tweets from a Weiner staffer? Shoots it down, I suspect.

Anthony Weiner has a staff with thirteen salaried positions!?! And gawd knows how many internships. It's way past time for some austerity in the staffing levels of Congress. We average Joes have had to tighten our belts, make do, and struggle. Why can't lawmakers function on less like the rest of us?

Perhaps if they faced the ever-enclosing horizons that plague working Americans they wouldn't have the spare time it takes to engage in such useless crap as Twitter. And in case one wants to make the argument that tweets are an important political tool, my reply is if so then we are even more fucked than anyone is yet aware of. According to Pear Analytics a random sample of Twitter traffic consists of: Pointless babble – 40% Conversational – 38% Pass-along value – 9% Self-promotion – 6% Spam – 4% News – 4%

As for the page system, they all go must home to mother until Congress can demonstrate a level of sexual morality that exceeds the national norm. Besides, pages today have nothing to do except pad their admissions resumes.

On my system Anthony Weiner goes from 13 full-time staffers, who pull down about 3.5 megabucks worth of salary and benefits per annum, down to 1.5, an 868% savings. Projected through the whole Federal system, the costs of which are largely in the form of wages and benefits, my system solves the deficit problem at a stroke. And what of these poor staffer who end up unemployed? A few will starve and be audited from the gene pool. But most will find gainful employment providing goods and services which will actually increase the national wealth.

He has no intention of giving anyone access to the money he has already collected to run in 2012. If he retired now? That war chest would go to someone else.

You've seen his weiner flag-pole style, inside his underpants. But you won't see his wallet. He wants to hold on until he's ousted in a primary, next June.

Or, somebody (like Nancy Pelosi), has got to hand him a "Golden Parachute." Not a golden shower. Meanwhile, if his marriage won't last, he can look for the sympathy vote. (Voters in his district kept Charles Schumer there ... until Schumer bounded out for the Senate.)

blake said..."I accept full responsibility as long as it means there are no repercussions."

=====================Without repercussions, the phrase "I accept full responsibility" is simply a "OK, I got caught, so what!" statement.

Disagree about the chickenshit about using a government phone or computer for non-official business being that important. If it was, 99% of the Federal workforce is "guilty" in some way or the other.And the "blackmail" charge is only effective in the past - for a known perve like Weiner, a closeted homosexual in GOv't, etc. MY own feeling is that there ought to be a legal way where you can have gov't arrest and prosecute blackmailers and the subject of blackmail does not see the light of day from media or lawyers "discovery".

Little Green Footballs is in shock that Breitbart is right and Weiner really did tweet his wiener. Even Chuckles acknowledged: Game over.

Daily Kos is equally messed up:

Tweetpocalypse, ctd.by Jed Lewison .The previous thread is exploding with comments, so here's a new one.

The salient facts: A Congressman accidentally Tweeted a crotch shot to the whole wide world, then lied about it. The media hounded him for the truth, and he's admitted his personal failing. And now we get to figure out what the public policy implications of the whole affair ought to be. I don't know about you, but it makes me see Keynesian economics in a whole new light.

p.s.: We're still waiting for Sen. David Vitter's comments on today's news.

Not surprisingly, lib websites are saying he shouldn't resign. The comparisons to Republican scandals are moot, since Democrats don't campaign on traditional family values, so the rules are different. Their argument is that Republicans are hypocrites and therefore deserving of the abuse and requirement to resign. They claim Weiner isn't a hypocrite, so he's immune from any expectation to resign.

Fred4Pres said...Had Congressman Weiner done this a week ago, he would have been far far better off.

A week ago, he thought he could get away with it. He confirms the truth when he realizes that there is more, non-deniable evidence. This is quite different than telling the truth.

He is a classic lying politician. He lies as a matter of policy and personal preference. He will continue to lie until he can't get away with it.

The broad and deep lack of integrity in our political leadership is a national tragedy, and it is having tragic consequences as habitual liars mislead on important matters of policy, while the press reports the lies as credible arguments.

I think the Republicans may be better off with this guy hanging on than with him out. Any time he screams that Paul Ryan wants to kill all the grannies they can simply say, "Why should Americans believe you? You're a proven liar."

"The broad and deep lack of integrity in our political leadership is a national tragedy, and it is having tragic consequences as habitual liars mislead on important matters of policy, while the press reports the lies as credible arguments."

And this is why, in Bidenspeak, this is "a big f'n deal".

How the hell are any of these lying goons trustworthy or honorable (no matter if they ever campaigned on "family values" or not) if this is what they do to their spouses, constituents, and all taxpayers who pay their salary and office expenses??

And if they are clearly shown to not be honorable or trustworthy, why should they continue to hold office??

Once again, evidence of the appalling lack of judgement on the part of elected officials. It boggles the mind that so much that could effect the lives of so many people is entrusted to such a horrible group of people. As for the week's delay,

"No doubt, Weenie has already cut a deal with Holder,..."

that's probably why. Head to head (sorry) with yet another sorry ass government worker trying to save his (Weenie's ) sorry ass.

I doubt that the people of Weiner's district care about this for the most part. He will very likely retain his seat barring some kind of criminal charges. The problem for Pelosi and the Dems is that a lot of people in Ohio care about things like honor, integrity and marital fidelity. So once again the Dems are the party of sleaze that won't even police their own and the people who leave you with that nagging feeling that there is not right or wrong in the world.

Sure you can. Work on his greed.Threaten his money. Threaten his lust for power. It is easy.

All he has to do to keep his power and money is to throw a few votes your way. Something to help you out, you know. Just a few contracts or some inside information. Nothing that would 'really' hurt anyone /wink wink.

Do that, Mr. Weiner and these photos of your dick will just stay under cover....so to speak.

Caplight said: "The problem for Pelosi and the Dems is that a lot of people in Ohio care about things like honor, integrity and marital fidelity"

Yup. a couple of Republican problems were used nationwide to get Democrats elected in 2006 and 2008. You nationalize the problems of one candidate to say all from that party are like that and it is time for "change".

AND: I think Weiner did a fine job of coming clean, taking responsibility, and apologizing. I had predicted that he would "announce he's entering treatment for sex addiction. Possibly with a grim/stoical Huma Abedin at his side." I'm glad he didn't do that. He didn't blame anybody else or any "outside force." He didn't use the nonapology "sorry if you were offended" form.

Nonsense. While it is good he apologized, the honorable thing would have been to resign. But these people (Democrats mostly but some Republicans too) but power over honor ever time. It is disgraceful but that is the way it is.

Quayle, I remember a murder investigation a few years ago. The person on trial said he couldn't have done it because he was doing cocaine that night. Get it? You admit to something bad so no one will think you are lying, so you couldn't have done that really bad thing.

Well, could be the case here. Weiner admits to something rather bad, hoping to keep the really really big thing a secret.

This is a comment from someone who is paying attention to how you take apart a corrupt opposition political party.

You pick the target, you freeze it, you polarize it. And you start amputating fingers till that motherfucker screams.

Who is the target? Every dumb ass who opens his corrupt fucking trap. Because they're ALL doing something they're ashamed of.

All those Democrats who are sighing today thinking "Man, I'm glad that's not me ..." had better get ready.

Because shortly it WILL be you. All we ask is that you open your fucking trap and identify yourself. Go on MSNBC. Call people sluts. Bring their families into it. Attack their wives. And their children. Organize protests at our houses. Make yourself a fucking target. Please! We beg you.

Thank Hillary Clinton.

She taught us about the Wisdom of Saul Alinsky and how to destroy your power.

AND: I think Weiner did a fine job of coming clean, taking responsibility, and apologizing.

I'm certain he lied about the number of women. He has Megan Broussard on Facebook, the coed in Seattle, the woman talking to RadarOnline. He's also been DMing a stripper named Ginger Lee and apparently two high school girls. All of these very recently.Yet he said there have been 6 women, most of them prior to getting married.

He said he didn't know their ages, only how they represented themselves. But again, there were at least 2 high school girls on twitter.

Finally, he said he sent the tweet to the Seattle Coed as a joke. Is this an acceptable joke for a congressman? Didn't that kind of joke used to be sexual harassment.

Oh, and really finally. How about the way he treated the female reporters covering the story. What does that tell us about him? He didn't apologize for it.

Breitbart is an ass and has about as much information as Donald Trump did about Obama's citizenship. Shocking!!! You will be surprised!!! Not

Breitbart is a man of principle and integrity, on a mission, and in everything he has dealt with, be it this case or ACORN or Planned Parenthood or Sherrod, he has turned out to be devastatingly spot-on. For that the left hates him. But, also, he takes no prisoners, and for that the left fears him.

I found Ann's reaction mild. She clinically states the obvious, which he would have kept lying if he thought he could have gotten away with it, but then praises him for the form of his apology. Doesn't the fact that he apologized only because he was caught pretty much preclude praise for the form of his apology - it is a pretty low bar to say good things about Weiner's performance. Even his apology to Breitbart was dragged out of him, simply included Breitbart with everyone else and was for the wrong thing - it was not a matter of misleading Breitbart, it was a matter of unleasing the attack dogs on him when he knew Breitbart was doing nothing wrong.

Also, I thought Weiner looked pathetic, apology and all. Here is a guy who has been an attack dog against everyone else for years who disagreed with him or engaged in alleged misconduct and, when he is caught, he turns into a sniveling small man. He should have apologized for his conduct and his lying and explained why he did it and, then with a New York attitude, told everyone that questions about his marriage was none of their business, he felt he had respresented his constituents well, he intended to continue to represent his constituents to the best of his ability and, if they decide that they don't want him to represent them anymore, they can decide that at the ballot box. It probably would be the best way to try to save his political career.

Weiner: Meh, I showed my crank and had other blissful conversations of a sexual nature with other women on social media.

Media: So can you say that the x-rated is you?

Weiner: I'm not giving up my power, so what does it matter.

At this point, his ousting should be called for, but he won't succumb because the retention of power for this scum-bag is more important than what he has done. He is the epitome of a classless douchbag.

Now I expect Jay Retard and the human thumbsucker Garage McThumbsucker to issue an apology in defending this classless douche and claiming that it was all lies. You leftards are the bottom of the barrel and you defend your bottom of the barrel standards. You should leave this blog in shame. Oh wait, you have none.

One of the high school girls joked about getting Weiner to be her prom date.

What are the chances he didn't know at least that one was underage?

Again, not saying he sent her pictures or had anything but G-rated conversations with her, but considering what he was doing with the known-legals in his posse (man, it was hard to leave it there) the ick factor even still pushes 11.

Or maybe five, in Weiner's case.

Ahem. It's a lot like having a known lothario who just happens to like watching the Junior High Girls Volleyball team play. As a matter of fact, it's exactly like that.

When it was Edwards in the hot seat, he got the "Just go away". With Tony, he did just fine, boys being boys, no harm no foul.

Sorry, Tony is an unmanly cowardly scoundrel. Real men accept their consequences with pleasure at the outset, they eat crow and humble pie for breakfast and declare it most satisfying. They don't lie like sorry sacks of **** for ten days.

He has proven himself unworthy of being our Representative. New Yorkers, due your duty, if the scurvy dog won't go on his own.

So manly men wearing shorts in public when they feel like it is inexcusable, but jerkwad lying alpha-male bad-boy Democratic Congressmen are OK. You reap what you sow.

(And Huma is no angel, save your pity. If she left now, she'd be exposed as a common political gold-digger.)

"I found Ann's reaction mild. She clinically states the obvious, which he would have kept lying if he thought he could have gotten away with it, but then praises him for the form of his apology."

No kidding. That's some weak shit, right?

All Anthony Weiner did today was admit to things we could already prove and refuse to resign.

And apologize to an absent wife, but represent to the press that she's totally in his corner and loves him and isn't leaving him and oh, you can trust Anthony Weiner on that score baby because Anthony Weiner has never lied to you. Has he?

Truth be told, Ann doesn't think what he did is despicable. She thinks that, yea, it's bad for him and stuff, but not really resign-worthy.

All husbands masturbate.

You know who I want to hear from: I want to hear from Freeman Hunt.

Because Freeman Hunt has her pulse on the nation. She's living in the heartland and is not an "internet star" or "law professor." She's just a regular woman.

So, Freeman ... it's true that all husbands masturbate. Most use porn of one kind or another. But most of us aren't in email contact with those we masturbate to (with) and really, we don't have any means for meeting those people. They're just pictures.

Is what Democrat Weiner did all that different, really? Because I think it's very, very different.

windbag said...(at 4:52)Not surprisingly, lib websites are saying he shouldn't resign. The comparisons to Republican scandals are moot, since Democrats don't campaign on traditional family values, so the rules are different. Their argument is that Republicans are hypocrites and therefore deserving of the abuse and requirement to resign. They claim Weiner isn't a hypocrite, so he's immune from any expectation to resign.

Excellent point. Comparisons are being made to Vitter as well. This is inapt (inept?). I don't recall Vitter lashing out in the national media accusing his accusers of being liars. The sexting scandal needs to separated out from the vile and contemptuous attempt to discredit Breitbart.

Weiner is a narcissist. He isn't truly sorry for his behavior. He's only sorry he was caught. The guy would have continued to lie forever if he could have gotten away with it. How anyone could watch that presser and not see how he tried to get a sympathetic reaction hasn't watched many found guilty defendants in front of a judge at sentencing. If he was truly sorry he could have made an act of contrition by resigning in shame. He feels no shame so he doesn't resign. He's offered nothing to anyone. His apologies are meaningless at this point and why anyone would believe a liar at this time is beyond my ability to comprehend. He'll continue to rip taxpayers off to fund his misadventures for as long as he can get away with it. Barney Frank had a prosty ring operating out of his place and paid no price. Maxine Waters has been under investigation for how long and that goes nowhere. Charlie Rangel openly defies the IRS and nothing happens. It's a sad world we live in when there are no repercussions for bad behavior by the politically elite.

The better question is whether he will choose to retain that "in-your-face," hyperpartisan persona --- or will instead humbly reflect on lessons learned from the completely embarrassing experience he has just been through, and lower his tone and his profile in response.

My thoughts generally have almost no correlation to women at large, so I don't think I'm the representative you're looking for here.

However, I don't know of any women who would say that doing this is the same as looking at porn. Granted, I live somewhere where looking at porn is largely looked down upon. Even so, of the people I know who have no problem with porn, not one of them would be okay with this I'd wager.